Writer, Gardener, Herbalist, Alchemist

You are here

A Gathering of Family

A gathering of family
to honor the birthday
of a loved one, now gone.
Candles fluttering or
flickering out in the breeze.
Flowers placed on the mandala
surrounding his final resting place.
Bits of sharing,
a few tears,
some silence
and some laughter.
Then on to a glass of wine,
a "blech" by Grandma as
she tastes the brew she doesn't like.
All in celebration of the one,
the one we love and miss,
the one who chose suicide
and left us to pick up the pieces
of his shattered life.
There's no anger
just the missing him
every day.
And learning
to remember
the humor
along with the pain.
As my daughter said,
"he'd be angry if we just wallowed".
So we celebrated, and ate
and spent lovely family time together.
It's one more step
in the wheel of the year,
as the pain slowly fades
into the past,
we learn to stand
strong in the present,
and look forward to
a new future.